Wazzup Pilipinas!
For Eugene Toquero, ONE: Valor of Champions will allow him the chance to shine in front of his native people.
Toquero and fellow 125-pound fighter Brianata Rosadhi are set for the 24 April card from the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines.
A native of the host country, Toquero will look to impose his will through Muay Thai, which is his strength.
After starting his career with five straight wins, all of which came via finish, the flyweight was topped by Geje Eustaquio in his ONE debut back in late 2013.
Eustaquio showed Toquero what he needed to work on, as his striking was muted by counter punches and being a step quicker. On the ground, Toquero was unsuccessful on a takedown attempt that led to the eventual winner landing plenty of solid strikes.
The latter stages of the contest seemed to wear on him, as Eustaquio gained momentum and was able to deal Toquero his first pro loss. In defeat, he showed incredible heart and an even better chin, constantly withstanding power shot after power shot.
However, he needed little time to right the proverbial ship, dominating top prospect Gianni Subba with a decision win last May. Both of his last two fights have gone the distance, allowing Toquero to gain some much-needed cage time.
That was on display vs. Subba, as the striker-first used takedowns and wrestling to subdue his opponent.
Like many in this sport, Toquero balances his life with being a father, a fighter and even a trainer to many well-known celebrities in the Far East under the Submission Sports Philippines camp.
Rosadhi is making his return to the ONE cage after a submission loss in 2013 to Raymond Tan at ONE Championship 10. Since, the Indonesian fighter has been honing his skills at the Hans Fight Club.
We witnessed first-hand what a real rookie mistake looks like in the ONE cage when Rosadhi shot in for a double-leg takedown on the experienced Tan seconds into their bout. Tan, seeing the neck of his opponent exposed, easily secured the guillotine choke and win in just 21 seconds.
The 23-year-old earned a win over Alex Hendro Batubara to begin his pro career.
While inexperienced in MMA, Rosadhi is a Banten Wushu champion and East Java Grappling champion, along with scoring multiple podium finishes in grappling around Indonesia.
According to the Tapology worldwide rankings, Rosadhi currently sits at No. 49 out of 75 pro flyweights in Southeast Asia, meaning a victory over someone the level of Eustaquio would do nothing but improve both his stock and his confidence moving forward.
In terms of moving closer to challenging ONE flyweight champion Adriano Moraes, this is a much more important fight for Toquero. He has the experience edge and has flashed incredible skills with his striking.
Should he find an opening to put Rosadhi away, you can expect ONE officials to notice and likely slot him up the division ladder.
Contributed by Dana Becker c/o Gerald Ng
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